


queen of winter, prince of storms

by IceisAwesome



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alive Starks, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, Developing Relationship, F/M, Greenseeing, Happy Starks, Independent North (ASoIaF), Older Man/Younger Woman, POV Multiple, Queen Sansa, Sansa Stark is Queen in the North, Warg Sansa Stark, Warg Stark Children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-01-31 12:41:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18591481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceisAwesome/pseuds/IceisAwesome
Summary: In a world where Torrhen never knelt, the Starks remain the Kings and Queens of Winter. They continue as they have for thousands of years until a green dream warns of impending war with the south. With little time left, princess Sansa devises a plan that will lead to an entirely unexpected outcome.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stonekata](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stonekata/gifts).



The night is dark, pitch black and illuminated only by the faintest of stars, as the raven flies over the marsh.

Twisting through the trees and dodging the snapping jaws of lizard-lions, the bird eventually reaches the narrow causeway through the mire. Catching sight of the hooded and cloaked band of travelers, the raven croaks out a greeting, swooping down until it alights on the branch of a fallen tree.

The smallest figure pulls down their hood, revealing the shadow of a slender frame and delicate face as they peer down at the bird.

“My princess,” a soft spoken voice echoes through the swamp, the boy smiling down at the bird as it looks up at him. “We are making good time and should meet you within hours.”

The bird caws again, a question only one member of the party seems to understand as he laughs softly, the noise drawing the attention of his companions.

“I am fine, my princess. I merely bring news that cannot be discussed in a letter.” At that assurance the raven ducks its head in a nod before taking flight, climbing higher and higher until it is nothing more than a speck of black against the dark sky.

* * *

“Lord Reed!” Sansa calls with a smile, stepping forward as the band of crannogmen finally reach the gates of the castle.

“My princess,” the same boy greets her with a smile, green eyes bright as he dips into a deep bow.

“Come,” the princess tells him, taking hold of his arm and pulling him further into the halls of Moat Cailin. “I have food ready and beds waiting for you and your companions.”

“We only intend to stay a few hours-” he begins to protest, though his smile remains, and Sansa shakes her head, red hair falling in a curtain around her face.

“I trust you, Jojen, and I trust your news is serious. I may have to ride for Winterfell when our talk is done. You will do us all a disservice if you do not rest before we ride north.”

He nods, easily relenting to her command cloaked in courtesy, and Sansa smiles brightly.

“We have much to discuss, it seems,” she tells him, “but it is good to see you again.”

* * *

The windows of the tower are open, bringing in both the brightness of the rising sun and the sharp sting of the ever present cold.

“I know your people have not encountered any significant trouble,” she starts, pouring a glass of lemon water from the pitcher on the table between them. “For you would have told me if you had.”

“So,” Sansa leans back against the plain chair, head tilted just slightly, “what has your sight shown you?”

Surprising her, Lord Reed sighs, his green eyes filled with worry-an expression she’s never seen on his face.

“I dreamed of a great stag,” Jojen finally tells her. “A huge beast, one that even a direwolf would have trouble killing. It ran through the snow as wolves howled around it, yet no pack appeared to kill it, no wolf to hunt it.”

It is no great effort to keep her face composed, to keep the worry she feels from showing, though Sansa knows her friend can doubtless sense it anyways.

Green dreams are tricky things, fickle and not often easily understood. But it is easy enough to guess what the stag represents, easy enough when every northern child knows of the southron king.

The southron king who was only barely kept from raising his banners against her own father for the _crime_ of saving a child of his blood, the southron king known for his countless attempts at winning the allegiance of the North.

Winning the allegiance of the North! As though they are a prize to be won, as though they have not ruled since the First Men stepped foot on the shores of Westeros. The North did not kneel to the dragons, they would never kneel to stags.

And yet the king seems to think otherwise, for only a fool could miss the meaning of this dream. Only a fool could miss the image of a stag in winter, a stag that even wolves cannot catch.

Sansa is no fool. The North is strong and well protected, the King of Winter-her own father-is a man known for his skill with strategy. But everyone knows luck runs out, just as everyone knows even the bravest and best can be felled.

“It seems I must keep your company from their rest,” she murmurs, “we ride for Winterfell within the hour.”

* * *

She watches her father pace around his solar, gaze locked on the courtyard outside as he thinks.

Father had not done Jojen the discourtesy of asking if he was sure, instead only listening calmly as the seer explained before asking him to leave. 

Sitting opposite father’s desk, the situation feels queerly like the few times she was brought in for misbehaving-a feeling not helped when father finally settles into his seat before her.

“I have an idea,” Sansa speaks up, watching as his own stance shifts until he is her king and not her father.

“Speak,” his reply is curt.

“We have lived in isolation for so long, with nothing to bring us news of the South but traders and the Tullys. Still, we know enough. We know enough of the king and we know enough of Jon Arryn. Why not send a message asking for an envoy?”

She continues, emboldened by the lack of interruption.

“We have furs and lumber and stone, we have plenty of goods that would warrant a trade agreement. And we have the southron king’s known desperation for your friendship.” 

Her king frowns at that, mouth twisting in distaste, but that is acknowledgement enough. 

Sansa leans back in her chair. “Send a letter to the South. Claim we want to finally trade directly with the crown. The king will send someone he trusts, and we may use the opportunity to learn more.”

“You would invite the Baratheons into our own home?” There is no heat in his words though, just a bone deep weariness.

“No,” she replies, “I would see what threat the stags truly pose before they can act against us.”

The king stares at her, grey eyes assessing, before nodding slightly.

“Make the preparations,” her king orders as he moves to stand. “The agreements will be your responsibility, just as investigating whatever envoy he sends will be yours.”

“Of course,” she easily agrees, sweeping her skirts up as she stands and moves to leave.

“Sansa?” He calls and she turns, noting the weariness he lets her see, noting the way he leans just slightly on the desk. 

“You have done well,” father says, voice thick with unspoken emotion, and Sansa does smile at that.

“Thank you, your grace.”


	2. Chapter 2

The thought of Robert attending a small council meeting was near unthinkable. His brother spent his time on wine and whores, seemingly completely blind to the fact he was supposed to actually rule the realm.

Stannis nearly stops in his tracks, then, when he enters the council chambers to see Robert actually sitting at the head of the table. Oh, it is obvious his brother has been drinking, his face flushed. And it is clear he was interrupted in the middle of his whoring, judging by his half buttoned doublet and his shoddily laced breeches.

Still, the mere sight of the king in the small council chambers is enough to stir unease in Stannis. Lord Arryn had long given up on making his brother attend to the affairs of the realm, so something impossible must have happened to give the hand incentive enough to drag Robert here. 

“Well?” His brother asks with a belch, the scent of wine practically pouring off him. “Why’d you call us here, Jon? There’s a beautiful woman in my bed!” The king concludes with a laugh, leering unpleasantly.

_A beautiful woman that is not your wife_ , he thinks but doesn’t say, well aware of just how futile it would be.

Jon Arryn frowns at that, fingers nervously tapping at the letter in his hand as he sets it on the table. The seal is broken but the wax wolf used by the northern kings is still easy to see.

The entire table stills, even Pycelle’s coughing coming to a halt.

“The King in the North,” Jon starts, “has sent a letter asking for an envoy. It appears he wants to resume trade with the south.”

_It appears._  An odd choice of words but one Robert has clearly not noticed, judging by the relief in his eyes. Every member of the small council knows their king treats the northern king like a long lost lover, just as they all know Eddard Stark refused each and every attempt made the King in the South to reconcile.

“An  _envoy_ ,” Lord Arryn stresses before Robert can open his mouth. “Not the king.”

The king grumbles, face twisting in displeasure as he settles back in his chair, thumping a hand against the table.

“One of the Tyrells would do, their heir has been known to send letters north, or perhaps-”

“Stannis,” his brother interrupts Arryn. “Stannis will go north.”

_“Stannis?”_  Renly echoes their brother, not bothering to hide his doubt. “Wouldn’t someone who has more experience with delicate negotiations be better?”

Robert snorts, his waning interest in the matter becoming clear, as he waves a fat hand in the air.

“And you would go? No, the master of laws is needed here. It’s not like I need a master of ships, not with no war!”

A hundred rebukes come to mind, each more stinging than the last, but Stannis merely nods.

“As your grace commands.”

* * *

“Stannis,” Lord Arryn calls out as the small council members begin to leave, “a moment?”

Pausing in his steps, he turns to look at the Hand, gaze flicking to the door before stepping back into the room as the rest of the council shuffles out.

A moment's pause before Arryn speaks, blue eyes narrowed in contemplation as he turns to look at Stannis.

“When I knew Ned,” Jon begins, “he was a second son and the spare heir. He was a prince but he was still a boy. He was kind and clever but trusting and far too easily influenced by Robert. The war changed that.”

Lord Arryn clears his throat, fingers combing through his graying beard, before he finally speaks. “The last time I saw Ned-it was right after Robert demanded Lyanna’s babe be killed. I still remember what he said, what he told Robert before turning his forces North.”

“The South can rot,” Stannis recalls easily-it was a tale often told by men deep in their cups. “The North remembers.”

“Yes,” Jon nods, “Robert lost him when he threatened Ned’s nephew, and with his actions we lost the North. Stark swore to never treat with the South again, and for the most part, he has kept that promise. Oh, the North allows merchants to enter and the queen still writes to her family in Riverrun…but Varys has had no success in placing spies in Stark’s kingdom and all marriage offers made to his heir or even his other children are rejected.”

“You think this a trap?”

“I find it hard to believe Ned would risk war,” the Hand responds slowly, “but years have passed since I last saw him, and men grow hard and cold in his kingdom. Whatever the reason, it is clear he has a game at play. I just cannot imagine what his goal must be."

"Be careful, Stannis," Jon finally tells him, blue eyes hard as he turns away in clear dismissal. "The North does not forgive."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is far shorter than i'd like but i wanted to post something. the next chapter should be the first meeting y'all are waiting for.

The less said about the trip north, the better. 

His brother had denied him the meager courtesy of summoning his own men from Dragonstone, and so he was forced to leave with a party of Robert’s men.

And Robert’s men they were, drinking and boasting and poorly hiding their disappointment at his own insistence at camping when they could and his open refusal to visit Riverrun and all its comforts. They were sent to earn the North’s support, not spend days listening to smug Hoster Tully continuously remind everyone his daughter was queen in the north.

Even worse, though, was Robert’s last minute addition to the northern party. Stannis does not know if sending the Kingslayer north with him was meant as a slight to him or the Lannisters, though he suspects the latter. After all, Lord Tywin had been furious when Robert refused his request to strip his son of the white cloak so the man could court Stark’s heir.

His brother may have meant it as a jape, but _he_ was the one who had to deal with the knight. He had to deal with the Kingslayers’ arrogance, with the man’s endless comments and remarks just short of disrespect.

By the time they cross the Twins, Stannis curtly refusing Walder Frey’s offer to spend the night, his own thinly held patience is close to snapping.

* * *

The hour of the bat approaches when they finally make camp on the outskirts of the great swamp stretching before them.

“So,” the Kingslayer drawls as the men set up camps, “The King in the North was meant to send us guides, was he not?”

Reluctant as he is to agree, he acknowledges the Lannister’s point with a sharp nod of his head. The king had promised guides, and the lack of any party to meet them makes him wonder. Stark was said to be grim and humorless, but this may be meant as an insult to Robert all the same.

“And he did,” a feminine voice interrupts the silence, his men reaching for their weapons far too slowly than he’d like.

“Show yourself,” Stannis barks, hand on his sword, and is met only with laughter until a party emerges from the tall reeds surrounding them.

A woman steps forward first, brown curls a mop around her head and green eyes bright with amusement. Clutching a spear in one hand and clad in dirty leathers, she smiles as she surveys their unfinished camp.

“The King of Winter sent us to escort you,” she says without pause, eyes fixed on Stannis.

“And to make sure you aren’t eaten by lizard-lions,” a voice from further back mutters, the group behind her joining the speaker in laughter.

 _Is this an insult?_ Stannis cannot help but wonder. It seems one, to be met with a woman as their guide, but it takes only a moment for him to remember the Northern kingdom’s queer traditions. With a female heir and rumors of women fighting in their forces, the Stark king likely sees such oddness as normal.

* * *

Staring up at the towering keep before him, Stannis finds himself reluctantly impressed. Moat Cailin, the swampfolk it had called it as they navigated their small boats through the bog. Whatever its name, he could see the value of it clear enough.

With supplies from the North, the castle and its towers could keep an army at bay for years upon years. The swampfolk may have insisted on a rest, but this is clearly a message to the South. Judging by the Kingslayer’s own considering glance, the man is the only other one to realize it.

Dismounting from his horse, his eyes catch on the woman approaching them with purpose. She is dressed far finer than any servant, her grey dress clearly well made, and Stannis straightens. He does not remember the look of Lord Stark well, but this may well be the princess Lady Reed spoke off.

“Good morrow, my lord,” she says with a nod of her head, hands clasped before her.

“Your grace,” Lannister greets her as he steps forward, smiling his most charming smile, but is met only with a laugh.

“Gods no!” She says with a smile and a shake of her head. “Her grace left for Winterfell shortly before you arrived. I am Jeyne Poole, steward of this castle.”

He can hear the men muttering amongst themselves, can see Lannister’s own raised brow, but Stannis does nothing more than fight not to grind his teeth.

Robert wants this agreement, Arryn wants him to spy. He cannot accomplish either if he doesn’t go along with their strange customs.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Stannis says instead, “Lady Poole.”

She smiles again at that, brown eyes warm, before they are ushered into the castle.

“You must be eager to arrive at Winterfell,” she tells him, “but I urge you to spend at least a day of rest here first.”

“A day,” he reluctantly acquiesces, “but nothing more."


End file.
